Asylum applications in Cyprus reduced by 40%

Cyprus recorded a 40 percent decrease in asylum applications during 2006, but still has the largest number of asylum applications in relation to its population. According to a report released by Eurostat, in 2006 there were almost six applications (5.9) per thousand population in Cyprus, whereas this figure stood at 10.3 in 2005, 13.2 in 2004 and 6.2 in 2003.

This figure is the highest in the EU 27, which records an average of 0.4 applications per thousand inhabitants. Eurostat figures also show that Cyprus received by far the largest number of applications for asylum in the period 2003-2006 in relative terms.
According to Eurostat figures for 2006, 1,255 applicants in Cyprus came from Syria, 290 from Sri Lanka, 335 from Georgia, 310 from Bangladesh, 205 from Iran and 1,945 from other countries.
In 2006 the 27 EU member states received 192,300 applications for asylum, which was more than 15% down on the previous year. In Slovenia the number of applications fell by almost 70% and in Latvia by 60%. The biggest fall in 2006 in absolute terms was recorded in France with 16,300 fewer asylum seekers than in the previous year.